{"id":8225,"date":"2025-12-16T15:58:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T14:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bifest.it\/history\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T15:08:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:08:02","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bifest.it\/en\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"History"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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History<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The festival\u2019s true strength lies in the bond \u2013 or pact \u2013 it shares with its audience, which is, in truth, more than just an audience: it is a genuine community. With the decline of twentieth-century political structures, between the 1970s and 1980s, festivals of all kinds \u2013 film, literature, philosophy, theatre \u2013 took the place of political parties, or rather of the social life they fostered through gatherings, debates and shared worldviews. Opportunities for learning and \u2018live\u2019 experiences of reality that not even the terrible wave of Covid has stopped: it is an almost poignant need in the digital age, yet one that remains alive and fruitful, perhaps in Bari more than anywhere else. The Bif&st is not held in the name of a misunderstood glamour, but of the encounter between filmmakers and the audiences who have always flocked to its screenings and masterclasses, seeking not merely generic \u2018discoveries\u2019 on the screen but a cultural framework with which to engage. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Oscar Iarussi<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Founded in the winter of 2009, the Bif&st \u2013 Bari International Film Festival is directed by the journalist and film critic Oscar Iarussi and produced by the Apulia Film Commission on behalf of the Puglia Region, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, and in collaboration with the Municipality of Bari, the University of Bari \u201cAldo Moro\u201d, the Bari Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Education Office for Puglia, as well as numerous other private partners who choose to invest in culture and audience development through the festival every year.<\/p>

Over the years, Bif&st has become one of the most significant cultural events linked to the cinema, not only locally but also nationally and internationally. Breathtaking venues and huge public turnout have made the Festival one of the most eagerly awaited events for film enthusiasts, industry professionals and artists alike. Following the long and prestigious 15-year tenure of its founder, Felice Laudadio, in October 2024 the Regional Council of Puglia appointed Oscar Iarussi as the Festival\u2019s new artistic director, envisaging an innovative path for the future of Bif&st, whilst maintaining substantial continuity with the formula conceived and developed over the previous 15 years. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Past Editions<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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2025 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2024 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2023 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2022 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2021 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2020 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2019 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2018 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2017<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2016 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2015 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2014 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2013 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2012 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2011 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2010 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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2009 Edition<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The festival\u2019s true strength lies in the bond \u2013 or pact \u2013 it shares with its audience, which is, in truth, more than just an audience: it is a genuine community. With the decline of twentieth-century political structures, between the 1970s and 1980s, festivals of all kinds \u2013 film, literature, philosophy, theatre \u2013 took the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8225","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHistory - Bif&st<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bifest.it\/en\/history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"History - Bif&st\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The festival\u2019s true strength lies in the bond \u2013 or pact \u2013 it shares with its audience, which is, in truth, more than just an audience: it is a genuine community. 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